A new method to determine the gravity field of small bodies from line-of-sight acceleration data

We present a new method to derive line-of-sight acceleration observables from spacecraft radio tracking data. The observables can be used to estimate the mass and gravity of a natural satellite as a spacecraft flyby. The corresponding observation model adapts to one-way and two/three-way tracking modes. As a test case for method validation and application, we estimated the mass and degree two gravity field for the Martian moon Phobos using simulated tracking data when the spacecraft Mars Express flew by Phobos on 2013 December 29. We have a few real tracking data during flyby and they will be used to confirm raw data simulation. The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the method of line-of-sight acceleration reduction from raw tracking data and the feasibility to estimate mass and gravity of a natural satellite using this type of observable. This novel method is potentially applicable to planet and asteroid gravity field studies combined with Doppler tracking data.     

Reducing loss of significance in the computation of Earth-based two-way Doppler observables for small body missions

Two-way Doppler measurement is a typical Earth-based radiometric technique for interplanetary spacecraft navigation and gravity science investigation.The most widely used model for the computation of two-way Doppler observables is Moyer's differenced-range Doppler(DRD) formula,which is based on a Schwarzschild approximation of the Solar-System space-time.However,the computation of range difference in DRD formula is sensitive to round-off errors due to approximate numbers defined by the norm IEEE754 in all PCs.This paper presented two updated models and their corresponding detailed instructions for the computation of the two-way Doppler observables so as to impair the effects of this type of numerical error.These two models were validated by two case studies related to the Rosetta mission—asteroid Lutetia flyby and comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko orbiting case.In these two cases,the numerical noise from the updated models can be reduced by two orders-of-magnitude in the computed two-way Doppler observables.The results showed an accuracy from better than 6 × 10~(-3) mm s~(-1) at 1 s counting time interval to better than 3 × 10~(-5) mm s~(-1) at 60 s counting time interval.     

TeV cosmic-ray proton and helium spectra in the myriad model Ⅱ

Recent observations show that the spectra of cosmic ray nuclei start to harden above ～ 102 GeV, which contradicts the conventional steady-state cosmic ray model. We had suggested that this anomaly is due to the propagation effect of cosmic rays released from local young cosmic ray sources; the total flux of cosmic rays should be computed with the Myriad Model, where a contribution from sources in the local catalog is added to the background. However, although the hardening could be elegantly explained in this model, the model parameters obtained from the fit are skewed toward a region with fast diffusion and a low supernova rate in the Galaxy, in disagreement with other observations. We further explore this model in order to set up a concordant picture. Two possible improvements related to cosmic ray sources are considered. First, instead of the usual axisymmetric disk model, we examine a spiral model for the source distribution. Second, for nearby and young sources which are necessary to explain the hardening, we allow for an energy-dependent escape. We find that a major improvement comes from incorporating an energy-dependent escape time for local sources, and with both modifications not only are the cosmic ray proton and helium anomalies resolved, but also the parameters attain values in a reasonable range compatible with other analyses.     

Transient accelerating scalar models with exponential potentials

We study a known class of scalar dark energy models in which the potential has an exponential term and the current accelerating era is transient. We find that, although a decelerating era will return in the future, when extrapolating the model back to earlier stages (z ■ 4), scalar dark energy becomes dominant over matter. So these models do not have the desired tracking behavior, and the predicted transient period of acceleration cannot be adopted into the standard scenario of the Big Bang cosmology. When couplings between the scalar field and matter are introduced, the models still have the same problem; only the time when deceleration returns will be varied. To achieve re-deceleration, one has to turn to alternative models that are consistent with the standard Big Bang scenario.     

Multi-wavelength study of triggered star formation around 25 H II regions

We investigate 25 H II regions that show bubble morphology in13CO(1–0)and infrared data,to search for quantitative evidence of triggered star formation by processes described by the collect and collapse(CC)and radiatively driven implosion(RDI)models.These H II regions display the morphology of a complete or partial bubble at 8μm,and are all associated with the molecular clouds that surround them.We found that the electron temperature ranges from 5627 K to 6839 K in these H II regions,and the average electron temperature is 6083 K.The age of these H II regions is from 3.0×105yr to 1.7×106yr,and the mean age is 7.7×105yr.Based on the morphology of the associated molecular clouds,we divide these H II regions into three groups,which may support CC and RDI models.We select 23 young IRAS sources which have an infrared luminosity of103L in 19 H II regions.In addition,we identify some young stellar objects(including Class I sources),which are only concentrated in H II regions G29.007+0.076,G44.339–0.827 and G47.028+0.232.The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions of the three H II regions all show a cometary globule.Comparing the age of each H II region with the characteristic timescales for star formation,we suggest that the three H II regions can trigger clustered star formation by an RDI process.In addition,we detect seven molecular outflows in the five H II regions for the first time.These outflow sources may be triggered by the corresponding H II regions.     

Relativistic transformations between global and local velocities of an orbiter under IAU Resolutions

Einstein's general relativity(GR) has become an inevitable part of deep space missions.According to the International Astronomical Union(IAU) Resolutions which are built in the framework of GR,several time scales and reference systems are recommended to be used in the solar system for control,navigation and scientific operation of a spacecraft.Under the IAU Resolutions,we derive the transformations between global and local velocities of an arbitrary orbiter.These transformations might be used in orbit determination with Doppler tracking and prediction of Doppler observables for the spacecraft.Taking the YingHuo-1 Mission as a technical example of future Chinese Mars explorations,we evaluate the significance and contributions of various components in the transformations.The largest contribution of the relativistic parts in the transformations can reach the level of ~ 5 × 10~(-5) m s~(-1).This suggests that,for such a spacecraft like we have assumed,if the accuracy of Doppler tracking is better than ~ 5 × 10~(-5) m s~(-1) then the relativistic parts of the transformations of velocities will be required.     

The breakdown of the power-law frequency distributions for the hard X-ray peak count rates of solar flares

The frequency distribution for several characteristics of a solar flare obeys a power law only above a certain threshold, below which there is an apparent loss of small scale events presumably caused by limited instrumental sensitivity and th：e corresponding event selection bias. It is also possible that this deviation in the power law can have a physical origin in the source. We propose two fitting models incorpo- rating a power law distribution with a low count rate cutoff plus a noise component for the frequency distribution of the hard X-ray peak count rate of all solar flare sam- ples obtained with HXRBS/SMM and BATSE/CGRO observations. Our new fitting method produces the same power-law index as previously developed methods, a low cutoff of the power-law function and its corresponding noise level, which is consistent with measurements of the actual noise level of the hard X-ray count rate. We found that the fitted low cutoff appears to be related to the noise level, i.e., flares are only recognized when their peak count rate is 3or greater than noise. Therefore, the fitted low cutoff, which is smaller than the aforementioned threshold, might be attributed to selection bias, and probably not to the actual count rate cutoff in flares at smaller scales. Whether or not the actual low cutoff physically exists needs to be checked by future observations with increased sensitivities.     

The Origin of Infrared Emission from the Infrared Luminous Galaxy NGC 4418

We present a study of the origin of infrared (IR) emission in the optically normal, infrared luminous galaxy NGC 4418. By decomposing the stellar absorption features and continua in the range of 3600-8000 A from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey into a set of simple stellar populations, we derive the stellar properties for the nuclear region of NGC 4418. We compare the observed infrared luminosity with the one derived from the starburst model, and find that star-forming activity contributes only 7% to the total IR emission, that as the IR emission region is spatially very compact, the most possible source for the greater part of the IR emission is a deeply embedded AGN, though an AGN component is found to be unnecessary for fitting the optical spectrum.     

Resolved SZE Cluster Count

We study the counts of resolved SZE(Sunyaev-Zel‘dovich effect)clusters expected from an interferometric survey in different cosmological models under different conditions.The self-similar universal gas model and Press-Schechter mass function are used.We take the observing frequency to be 90GHz,and consider two dish diameters,1.2m and 2.5m.We calculate the number density of the galaxy clusters dN/(dΩdz)at a high flux limit Sv^lim=100mJy and at a relative low Sv^lim=10mJy.The total numbers of SZE clusters N in two low-Ω0 models are compared.The results show that the inθuence of the resolved effect depends not only on D,but also on Sv^lim;at a given D,the effect is more significant for a high than for a low Sv^lim.Also,the resolved effect for a flat universe is more impressive than tnat for an open universe.ForD=1.2m and Sv^lim=10mJy,the resolved effect is very weak.Considering the designed interferometers which will be used to survey SZE clusters,we find that the resolved effect is insignificant when estimating the expected yield of the SZE cluster surveys.     

Simulation of the emission lines radiated from cataclysmic variables

Cataclysmic variables are special celestial bodies because they have particular light curves and spectra.The mechanisms for generating emission lines radiated from dwarf novae in their quiescent phases are studied.We assume that the incident radiation field which is emitted by a hot source（white dwarf and boundary layer）irradiates the gaseous layer evaporated from the accretion disk,and the emission lines are radiated from the gas.We model the fluxes of emission lines by using the photoionization code CLOUDY.Using this method,we input some reasonable parameters and get a series of simulated spectra.In order to find a simulated spectrum which is the best fit to an observed spectrum,we use a cross-correlation method to match them.After the calculation,we use the approximation that the parameters of the simulated spectrum can simulate the observed spectrum.Finally,we learn more about the physical conditions of the system.     

Uncertainty in measurements of the distances of scattering screens in pulsar observations

In our previous paper we investigated properties of the ionized interstellar medium in the direction of three distant pulsars: B1641–45, B1749–28 and B1933+16. We found that uniformly distributed scattering material cannot explain measured temporal and angular broadening. We applied a model for a thin scattering screen and found the distances to the scattering screens in all directions. In this paper, we consider more complicated models of scattering material distribution, such as models containing both a uniformly distributed medium and thin screen. Based on these models, we estimate the accuracy of localization of scattering screens and the possible relative contribution of each scattering component.     

Chempl: a playable package for modeling interstellar chemistry

Astrochemical modeling is needed for understanding the formation and evolution of interstellar molecules,and for extracting physical information from spectroscopic observations of interstellar clouds.The modeling usually involves the handling of a chemical reaction network and solution of a set of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations,which is traditionally done using code written in compiled languages such as Fortran or C/C++.While being computationally efficient,there is room for improvement in the ease of use and interactivity for such an approach.In this work we present a new public code named CHEMPL,which emphasizes interactivity in a modern Python environment,while remaining computationally efficient.Common reaction mechanisms and a three-phase formulation of gasgrain chemistry are implemented by default.It is straightforward to run 0 D models with CHEMPL,and only a small amount of additional code is needed to construct 1 D or higher-dimensional chemical models.We demonstrate its usage with a few astrochemically relevant examples.     

Statefinder diagnostic and constraints on the Palatini f(R) gravity theories

We focus on a series of f(R) gravity theories in Palatini formalism to investigate the probabilities of producing late-time acceleration for the flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker(FRW) universe.We apply a statefinder diagnostic to these cosmological models for chosen series of parameters to see if they can be distinguished from one another. The diagnostic involves the statefinder pair{r,s},where r is derived from the scale factor a and its higher derivatives with respect to the cosmic time t,and s is expressed by r and the deceleration parameter q. In conclusion,we find that although two types of f(R) theories:(i) f(R) = R + αR~m-βR~(-n) and(ii) f(R) = R + α lnR-β can lead to late-time acceleration,their evolutionary trajectories in the r-s and r-q planes reveal different evolutionary properties,which certainly justify the merits of the statefinder diagnostic. Additionally,we utilize the observational Hubble parameter data(OHD) to constrain these models of f(R) gravity. As a result,except for m = n = 1/2 in case(i),α = 0 in case(i) and case(ii) allow the ΛCDM model to exist in the 1σ confidence region. After applying the statefinder diagnostic to the best-fit models,we find that all the best-fit models are capable of going through the deceleration/acceleration transition stage with a late-time acceleration epoch,and all these models turn to the de Sitter point({r,s}={1,0}) in the future. Also,the evolutionary differences between these models are distinct,especially in the r-s plane,which makes the statefinder diagnostic more reliable in discriminating cosmological models.     

Degeneracy and discreteness in cosmological model fitting

We explore the problems of degeneracy and discreteness in the standard cosmological model(ΛCDM). We use the Observational Hubble Data(OHD) and the type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia) data to study this issue. In order to describe the discreteness in fitting of data, we define a factor G to test the influence from each single data point and analyze the goodness of G. Our results indicate that a higher absolute value of G shows a better capability of distinguishing models, which means the parameters are restricted into smaller confidence intervals with a larger figure of merit evaluation. Consequently, we claim that the factor G is an effective way of model differentiation when using different models to fit the observational data.     

Shallow Decay of X-ray Afterglows in Short GRBs： Energy Injection from a Millisecond Magnetar？

With the successful launch of Swift satellite,more and more data of early X-ray afterglows from short gamma-ray bursts have been collected.Some interesting features such as unusual afterglow light curves and unexpected X-ray flares are revealed.Especially,in some cases,there is a fiat segment in the X-ray afterglow light curve.Here we present a simplified model in which we believe that the flattening part is due to energy injection from the central engine.We assume that this energy injection arises from the magnetic dipole radiation of a millisecond pulsar formed after the merger of two neutron stars.We check this model with the short GRB 060313.Our numerical results suggest that energy injection from a millisecond magnetar could make part of the X-ray afterglow light curve flat.     

Optical Flash of GRB 990123: Constraints on the Physical Parameters of the Reverse Shock

The optical flash accompanying GRB 990123 is believed to be powered by the reverse shock of a thin shell. With the best-fit physical parameters for GRB 990123 and the assumption that the parameters in the optical flash are the same as in the afterglow, we show that: 1) the shell is thick rather than thin, and we have provided the light curve for the thick shell case which coincides with the observation; 2) the theoretical peak flux of the optical flash accounts for only 3×10~-4 of the observed. In order to remove this discrepancy, the physical parameters, the electron energy and magnetic ratios, εe and εB, should be 0.61 and 0.39, which are very different from their values for the late afterglow.     

Asteroseismology of DAV white dwarf stars and G29-38

Asteroseismology is a powerful tool used for detecting the inner structure of stars, which is also widely used to study white dwarfs. We discuss the asteroseismology of DAV stars. The period-to-period fitting method is discussed in detail, including its reliability in detecting the inner structure of DAV stars. If we assume that all observed modes of some DAV stars are the l = I cases, the errors associated with model fitting will be always large. If we assume that the observed modes are com- posed of I = 1 and 2 modes, the errors associated with model fitting in this case will be small. However, there will be modes identified as l = 2 that do not have ob- served quintuplets. G29-38 has been observed spectroscopically and photometrically for many years. Thompson et al. made 1 modes identifications in the star through the limb darkening effect. With 11 known I modes, we also study the asteroseismology of G29-38, which reduces the blind l fittings and is a fair choice. Unfortunately, our two best-fitting models are not in line with the previous atmospheric results. Based on factors like only a few observed modes, stability and identification of eigenmodes, identification of spherical degrees, construction of physical and realistic models and so on, detecting the inner structure of DAV stars by asteroseismology needs further development.     

Redshift drift reconstruction for some cosmological models from observations

Redshift drift is a tool to directly probe the expansion history of the uni- verse. Based on the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker framework, we reconstruct the ve- locity drift and deceleration factor for several cosmological models using observa- tional H（z） data from the differential ages of galaxies and baryon acoustic oscillation peaks, luminosity distance of Type Ia supernovae, cosmic microwave background shift parameter, and baryon acoustic oscillation distance parameter. They can, for the first time, provide an objective and quantifiable measure of the redshift drift. We find that reconstructed velocity drift with different peak values and corresponding redshifts can potentially provide a method to distinguish the quality of competing dark energy mod- els at low redshifts. Better fitting between models and observational data indicate that current data are insufficient to distinguish the quality of these models. However, by comparing with the simulated velocity drift from Liske et al, we find that the Dvali- Gabadadze-Porrati model is inconsistent with the data at high redshift, which origi- nally piqued the interest of researchers in the topic of redshift drift. Considering the deceleration factor, we are able to give a stable instantaneous estimation of a transition redshift of zt ~ 0.7 from joint constraints, which incorporates a more complete set of values than the previous study that used a single data set.     

The search for roAp stars: null results and new candidates from Strmgren-Crawford photometry

The rapidly oscillating Ap(roAp) stars exhibit pulsational photometric and/or radial velocity variations on time scales of several minutes, which are essential to test current pulsation models as well as our assumptions of atmospheric structure characteristics. In addition, their chemical peculiarity makes them very interesting for probing stellar formation and evolution in the presence of a global magnetic field. To date, a limited number of only 61 roAp stars is known to show photometric variability. On the other hand, a literature survey yields 619 unique stars that have unsuccessfully been searched for variability of this kind. Str o¨mgren-Crawford uvbyβ photometry of stars from both subgroups was used to investigate whether there is a selection bias for the investigated stars. We also present new photometric measurements(202 hours on 59 different nights) of 55 roAp candidates. We did not detect any new roAp star. Although our detection limits are comparable to other surveys, we also did not find pulsations in the known roAp star HD 12098, which may be a consequence of temporal amplitude changes. On the other hand, we do find some evidence for photometric variability of beta CrB at its spectroscopically derived pulsation period. From the uvbyβ photometry we conclude that the blue border of the roAp instability strip appears observationally well defined, whereas the red border is rather poorly known and studied.Within these boundaries, a total of 4646 candidates were identified which appear worth investigating for short-term pulsational variability.     

Distribution of 56Ni Yields of Type Ia Supernovae and its Implication for Progenitors

The amount of 56Ni produced in Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) explosion is probably the most important physical parameter underlying the observed correlation of SN Ia lumi-nosities with their light curves. Based on an empirical relation between the 56Ni mass and the light curve parameter △m15, we obtained rough estimates of the 56Ni mass for a large sample of nearby SNe Ia with the aim of exploring the diversity in SN Ia. We found that the derived 56Ni masses for different SNe Ia could vary by a factor of ten (e.g., MNi = 0.1 - 1.3 M⊙),which cannot be explained in terms of the standard Chandraseldaar-mass model (with a 56Ni mass production of 0.4 - 0.8 M⊙). Different explosion and/or progenitor models are clearly required for various SNe Ia, in particular, for those extremely nickel-poor and nickel-rich producers. The nickel-rich (with MNi 0.8 M⊙) SNe Ia are very luminous and may have massive progenitors exceeding the Chandrasekhar-mass limit since extra progenitor fuel is required to produce more 56Ni to power the light curve. This is also consistent with the find-ing that the intrinsically bright SNe Ia prefer to occur in stellar environments of young and massive stars. For example, 75% SNe Ia in spirals have △m15 < 1.2 while this ratio is only 18% in E/S0 galaxies. The nickel-poor SNe Ia (with MNi < 0.2 M⊙) may invoke the sub-Chandrasekhar model, as most of them were found in early-type E/S0 galaxies dominated by the older and low-mass stellar populations. This indicates that SNe Ia in spiral and E/S0 galaxies have progenitors of different properties.